Shroud of the Avatar’s latest update is off the rails

If you assumed that Shroud of the Avatar’s February update was going to be on the small size, thanks to a shorter month, then you’re right there with the devs. However they ended up pushing out a rather big patch with Release 39 today that continues to fill out the game as it heads to an official release later this year.

There’s no one major headlining feature for Release 39 but instead several middle-of-the-road improvements. The team is progressing in its development of the Path of Courage and added the technologically savvy Kobolds and their counterparts, clockwork attack creatures. The update also contains crafting patterns (think “transmog” for weapons and gear), a pair of new dungeons, savable houses, a better cover system, neighborhood buffs, tweaks to the NPC conversation system, and Asian-themed architecture.

Players will also be able to put down those lutes after a long day of barding: “For our first foray into making handheld player items decorations, we picked handheld musical instruments because they are a nice small subset of items to experiment with as we work our way through the system. This means players can now place lutes, harps, flutes, and tabor drums as floor decorations.”

This patch also introduced ‘patterns’ which are consumable ‘transmog’ items that will be lost with equipment that is dropped on PvP, or eventually lost when the items durability make them unusable.

The ones available in game are found on items that are rare drops and the items that they drop from once farmed, only have a 1% chance to drop when the item is destroyed in an attempt to receive the pattern.

We have $20 statues that are small items placed on land. For $20. Forget the WoW sparkle pony for $25 that you see and use everything you log on. This is a tiny detail for your house that is $20.

The only reason I can imagine that this isn’t the same visibility as say the $80 monocle on EvE online, is that there just isn’t a big enough audience to be angry about this type of monetization.

Housing alone, I just got a nice plot in ESO, for $60 worth of crowns (I already had from my sub there anyway) and it’s a huge spacious area with the tree deco included. Cherry blossoms too which I love.

$550 in sota for a comparable deed and a house alone, which are smaller and no furniture or starting deco.

So, for all the stuff added to the ‘core’ of the game, look at the store page and more importantly, look at the price points being asked.

I gave it a full day waiting for any comments, but seeing none, I simply must break the silence, at the very least so the author has a happy Friday. You exist! You matter in the universe! I’ve heard your “Yopp!” loud and clear.

MASSIVELY OVERHEARD

“Roleplayers are in a game for the long haul. In the midst of players demanding new raids, new PvP warzones, and more story, there is a quiet voice saying, ‘I’d be happy with chat bubbles.’ That voice will be there for long time, and the reason that roleplayers will be in a given MMO for a long time is simple: They make their own content.”